Yeast plays a key role in breadmaking. In particular, the fermentative activity of the yeast is reflected in release of gas, causing the dough to rise.
However, some types of breadmaking lead to a decrease in the fermentative activity of the yeast, for example owing to stresses to which the yeast is subjected, such as a high sugar content of the dough or deep-freezing of the dough before fermentation. Even using yeasts that are adapted to these stresses, it is necessary to use a larger amount of yeast in the dough.
Moreover, it may be necessary to use a larger amount of yeast to compensate for a less suitable procedure. For example, release of gas might be reduced owing to insufficient kneading and/or lack of heating power of the baking equipment. This is notably the case with domestic applications, with manual kneading, baking in a domestic oven or breadmaking in a bread machine. The release of gas may also be less because of a short breadmaking scheme, i.e. with a greatly reduced fermentation time.
In order to solve the aforementioned problems, larger amounts of yeast are therefore used. However, this has the drawback of giving bakery products that develop an undesirable aromatic note, called “yeasty note” hereinafter.
Leavens, also called preferments, are traditionally used in breadmaking for improving the organoleptic qualities of bread. Some authors have been interested in preferments obtained from nonbaking yeasts.
Thus, McKinnon et al. (Cereal Chem. 73(1): 45-50, 1996) describe liquid preferments based on oenological yeasts. However, the strains of Saccharomyces tested give an aroma similar to the control bakery strain and were rejected by the authors. Only strains of Torulaspora delbrueckii and one strain of Hansenula anomala give different aromas in the liquid preferment.
Although they offer certain benefits for improving the organoleptic properties of bread, the use of leavens has several drawbacks, including the time taken to produce them, their limited storage life, homogeneity of the bakery products obtained and/or the cost of the leaven if it is purchased ready-made. Moreover, the use of leavens generates a typical range of aromas, namely aromatic notes of the “acid” or “vinegar” type, which are undesirable in the intended applications.
There is a real need to provide a method for obtaining the desired bakery products, but with partial or complete masking of the yeasty note, despite the presence of stresses, such as a high sugar content in the dough and/or deep-freezing of the dough, and/or despite a less suitable procedure, for example in domestic applications. Moreover, said method must not alter the habits of the consumer (professional or not), both in terms of duration of the method, number of steps and, preferably, number of ingredients to be used.